Despite rumors to the contrary - spurred by long lines of traffic Wednesday morning - the oft-discussed reconstruction of Florida Road is not under way.
Wednesday's logjam was due to annual maintenance on 15th Street near the three-way
intersection where the street meets East Third Avenue and Florida Road.
Durango Public Works Director Jack Rogers said a crew with the city's contractor, Four
Corners Materials, spent Wednesday grinding away the existing asphalt. Crew members will put down a fresh layer of
asphalt on Monday, which likely will cause another traffic snarl.
"Whenever there are traffic jams, people certainly want to know answers," Rogers said.
The 15th Street repair and resurfacing is only the most visible of several similar projects happening throughout Durango this week and next week.
Other streets receiving annual repair include 29th Street, 30th Street, Holly Avenue, Delwood Avenue, Fifth Street, East Seventh Avenue, Seventh Street, Ninth Street and West Third Avenue.
As for much-maligned Florida Road, city staff and City Council are awaiting the results of a registered-voter phone survey to help them decide whether or not the city will put a $15.5 million bond issue on the November ballot. The bond would fund a rebuild of the road and improvements for bicycle and pedestrian safety.
If the bond issue is approved, construction likely would begin in the spring of 2009.
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